Wheeled cultivator



April 28, 1925.

R. J. ALTGELT ET AL.

WHEELED CULTIVATOR 4 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Aug. 8, 1922 April 28, 1925. 1,535,889

. R, J. ALTGELT ET AL v WHEELED CULTIVA'ZOR Filed Aug. 8, 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 2s, 19.25.`

R. J. ALTGELT ET AL WHEELED CULT'IVATOR Filed Aug. e, 1922 4 sheets-sheet s April 28, 1925. v

' R. J. ALTGELT ET AL WHEELED CULTIVATOR Filed Aug. 8, 1922 @RMN Patented Apr. 28, 1925.

.d mirra'ii STATES PATENT- orifice.

RUDOLPH ,L LTGELT, HERMAN E. ALTGEL'T, AND CHARLES F. CU-NNI-NGHAM, 07F" SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, ASSIGNORS T ClIiIVlRi'GH21.:[DILCID PLOW lNN'ORKS, 0F SOUTH nano, INDIANA.

`WHEEELED GULTIVATO vApplication 'led August 8, .1922. Serial No. 580,453.

To all whom t may con-oem.'

Be it :known that we, RUDOLPH J. AL'r- .onirig HERMAN E. AL'i'GEL'r, and CHARLES F. CUNNINGHAM, citizensof the United States, and residents of .South Bend in the county of St. Josephand State of Indiana, have invented certain new iand useful Improvements in Vheeled Cultivators; and we do hereby declare the following to be .a full, r"clear, and exact description of the invention,

,'.such .as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. y

fTliis invention relatesto improvements in wheeled` cultivators and more particularly to that type which employsy a plurality of ganga-the present invention having' referyence especially `to lever mechanism for `raising and lowering the gang frames.

OneA object` of our .present invention is .to

p provide simple and eiiicient Amechanism in- .other .to raise one cultivator gang while the cluding a main handlever and secondary levers, whereby the operator.,` by manipulation of the .main lever may raise both cultivator gangs simultaneously and atthe same time cause Vthe carrying' wheelsI to move `bwackwardly fin order to place weight upon the rcultivator; pole and balance the machine when .the shovels are outv of the l.ground,- the mechanism beim;r such that either ci the .secondary khand levers may be readily and `conven'iently operated independently ofl each other .remains in operativer position relatively to the ground.

. A further object is to so construct a cultilvator .of the ipivot-axle type, that the cultivatcrgang `trames may be easily raised andk lowered 4and the carrying` wheels moved backwardly `or forwardly by the operation y ,goit asi-ngl'e hand lever conveniently located .and .so connected with the ,gang frames .axle .that it .ina-y be operated to perform the functions stated with the expenditure of a minimum effort .on the partfot .the operator.

A further obect lis to so construct and arrange leverV mechanism for `raising or lowering a plurality of y.gang frames of a futheeled `cultiimitor7 when such lever mechaiiism .includes a main lever for raising the .gang iframes simultaneouslwyand secondary levers vfor .raising either of said gang frames separately, that said secondary levers shall .remain stationaiy whenthe mam lever is @mamita lu i operated and thus .avoid .the movingoisaid secondary levers to .positions Vout of con venient :reach of the operator when themaiin lever .is operated. With .these .and other objects .in view., the invention `consists in certain novel features oi construction .and combinations ci: V.parts .as hereinafter set Jforth .and pointed out in .the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, 7Figure l 'is a lplan view of a cultivator embodying our improvements. Figure 2 .is .a side ele vation illustrating the Epositions ofthe .parts when the gangs have beenra-ised .above .the .ground by operation of the main lever. Figure 3 is .a view inside elevatioushowing the `positions of the kparts when `.the main lever is in lowered position andltliegangs .are in operative position.7 and Figure Lis a side view showing the positions of the paints `when" the main lever is zin vlowered position and a cultivator gang frame has been raised by `a secondary lever. p f

The main @trame .of .the cultivatoris repre-L `sented lat l and its `:forward .portion is icontracted 4in width and .secured .to .a .centrally located hollow casting- .2 fwli-ile .the .rear `ends ofthe side hars Yof .said trame kextend ltovator .structure and with a inain pole 6 fdol not constitute .parts of our .present .invention. but are .covered 1n cofpending applications Serial- NOS. 580,451 and 580,452. .A

'iuftlier detailed` description" oi said. .parts herein is thereione unnecessary.y

"ward :each other and receive .supporting bars y Supported Aan `intermediate portion of l the i'ramel and disposed :transversely ot' the latter is [a tubular bar 7 which provides a mounting toi' a .maui axle 8V and to the cranks of the latteiugpivot axles 9 are connected for the `aocommodation off carrying wheels l0. Y i

In the-embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings,4 two gang;` iii-ames ll-1 are employed and carry standards 12 'for .the -cultivator shovels 13,--the forward portions of said gang frames `.being provided with upwardly and` forwardly .extending members 14e .which vare mounted at their upper 'forward ends on a shaft 15 which `is mounted at the foiward portion of the frame 1 and projects atl its respective ends beyond respective sides of said frame.

A toothed segment 16 for a main lifting lever 17 is rigidly secured to the main fi'aine at one side of the latter and to said main frame, toothed segments 18-18 are rigidly secuied at respective sides thereof. A shaft 19 is mounted in suitable bearings secured to the respective side bars of the frame and this shaft is provided at its respective ends with upwardly projecting arms 0r cranks 20. Arms 21 are secured to the arms 2O and depend below the plane of the shaft 19 and to said arms 21, the forwaid ends of rods 22-are connected, said rods extending` downwardly and rearwardly and are connected with the pivot axles. The arm 21 at one side of the cultivator may be provided with a rearward extension 23 to which the main lever 17 is bolted.

To the lower portion of the frame of each secondary segment 18, a Asecondary lever 24 is pivotally attached. To each secondary lever at a point somewhat above the pivotal connection of the latter, a curved arm or lever 25 is pivoted and provided at a point intermediate of its ends with a projection `26 which is connected by means of a rod 27 with the arm or crank 20 at one end of the shaft 19. A rod 28 is pivotally connected with the rear end portion of each curved arm or lever 25 and each of said rods 28 is connected, through the medium of a spring 29 with one of the gang frames 11.

`With the construction and arrangement of lever mechanisms above described, raising ofthe main lever 17 from an approximately horizontal position to the position shown in Figure 2 will cause the shaft 19 to be turned and motion to be imparted through the rods 22 to the axles to move the latter in a manner to shift the wheels 10 rearwardly so that weight willv be put on the pole and the machine balanced when the cultivator gangs are moved to raised position, which raising movement of the cultivator gangs is effected simultaneously with rearward shifting of the carrying wheels, as follows: The turning of the shaft 19 by oneration of the main lever 17 will cause the arms or cranks 2O to move forwardly and transmit motion through the rods 27 to the curved arms 25, causing the latter to rise on their pivotal connections with the secondary levers and, through the medium of the rods 2S and springs 29 to raise both cultivator gangs simultaneously to the position shown in Figure 2 with the cultivator shovels above the ground.

lVhen the cultivator gangs are in operative positions with the shovels in the ground, as indicated in Figure 3, and the main lever locked in approximately horizontal position to the toothed segment 16, rearward shiftfy ing of one of the secondary levers fiom the position shown in Figure 3 to the position shown in Fioure t will cause one of the cultivator gangs to be elevated to the position shown in Figure 4l. lt is evident that when one of the secondary levers is moved rearu wardly as above described, the pivotal support of the curved arm or lever 25 on said secondary lever will also move rearwardly (in the arc of a circle) and as said. curved arm or lever is connected through the rod 27 with the arm 2O of shaft 19 (which latter is locked by the locking of the main lever), said arm ori lever 25 will be compelled to move upwardly on its pivotal connection with the secondary lever and thus impart, through the rod 28 and spring 29, motion to raise the cultivator gang.

The rigid securing of the secondary segments 1S to the frame constitutes an important feature of our invention because such construction will permit the two secondary levers to remain stationary while the main lever is being operated and thus avoid the inconvenience of prior constructions in which the secondary toothed seg ments are hinged and the lifting rods connected with said secondary levers directly and the secondary levers are shifted to positions not within convenient reach of the operator. Our improvements avoid such shifting of the secondary levers when the main lever is operated.

Having fully described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is:

1. In Va cultivator, the combination with a wheeled frame and a plurality of cultivator gang frames, of a main lifting lever, secondary lifting levers, lifting connections between each secondary lifting lever and one of the gang frames, said lifting connections including a member pivoted to each secondary lever', connections between the main lifting lever and the said lifting connections, means for locking the main lifting lever, and locking' segments for the secondary lifting levers, said locking segments iixedlv secured to the wheeled frame.

2. In a cultivator, the combination with a frame, crank axle members, carrying wheels and a plurality of gang frames, of a main lifting lever, secondary lifting levers, connections between each secondary lifting lever and one of the gang frames, said lifting connections including a member pivoted to each secondary lever, connections between the main lifting lever and the said lifting connections, connections between the main lifting lever and the crank axle members, locking means for the main lifting lever, and locking segments for the secondary lifting levers lixedly secured to the cultivator frame.

3. The combination with a main frame,

crank axle members, carrying wheels, and a plurality of gang frames, of a main lifting lever, connections between the main lifting lever and crank axle. members, two secondary levers, arms pivoted to said secondary levers and connected with the'gang frames, means connecting said pivoted arms with a part fixed to the main lever, means for locking said main lever, and means for locking each secondary lever.

l. In a oultivator, the combination with a main frame, crank axle members, carrying wheels and a plurality of gang frames, of a shaft mounted on the main frame and provided at its ends with arms, a main .lifting lever securedto said shaft, means for locking said lever, two secondary segments lixedly secured to the main frame, a secondary lever pivoted to each segment and hav- `ing locking means cooperable with the latter, an arm pivoted at one end to each secondary lever, connections between the other end of Y eachpivoted arm and one of the cultivator gangs, a connection between each of said pivoted arms and one of the arms of said shaft, and connections between said shaft and crank-axle members.

5. The combination with a wheeled cultivator frame and cultivator gangs connected therewith, of a transverse shaft mounted on said frame and provided at its ends with arms, a-main lifting lever secured to said shaft, two secondary toothed segments xcurved arms intermediate of the ends of the latter.

In testimony whereof, we have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RUDOLPH J. ALTGELT. HERMAN E. ALTGELT. CHARLES F. CUNNINGHAM. lVitnesses:

JENNIE M. DAVIS, HELEN Goss. 

